Also called: Controls Technician
Writes and troubleshoots the programs inside programmable logic controllers that tell factory machines what to do and when.
A conveyor stopped at 6 a.m. and the whole line is waiting on you. You plug into the PLC, see a sensor that thinks a box is stuck, clean it, and add a timer to the code so it won't happen again. Later you write the logic for a new palletizer.
Estimate; wide range depending on industry.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in automation, electronics or mechatronics, or industry PLC certificates.
Ways in: 2-year college, Certification, On-the-job training, Military. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Automation Technology (2-year), Mechatronics Technology, Electronics Technology.
Growing faster than average. Automation skills are in short supply.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI drafts ladder logic and finds faults faster; troubleshooting live machines on the floor keeps people in demand.
Classes: Electronics CTE class, Algebra II, Physics, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3024.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.